Self-attaching button

ABSTRACT

A self-attaching button assembly having a socketed body and a pronged bore. The prong is deformed in the course of engaging it in the socket to unite the parts. The assembly can be quickly attached to articles of clothing without needle and thread or other tools by individuals with no sewing training or experience. A decorative top covers the body which functions as a foundation for the decorative top.

United States Patent [191 Kapitan 1 SELF-ATTACHING BUTTON [76] Inventor:John R. Kapitan, 405 S. Kipling St.,

Lakewood, Colo. 80226 [22] Filed: June 9, 1971 [21] Appl.No.: 151,316

[52] US. Cl. 24/113 MP, 24/90 PR, 24/DIG. 11 [51] Int. Cl A44b 1/12 [58]Field of Search 24/94, 95, 96, 113, 153 LS, 24/141, 49 P, 49 A, 49 M, 67AR, 90 W, 90 T5, 113 MP, 113 R, DIG. 11,90 A, 90 B, 90

R, 90 PR, 103

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,146,231 7/1915 Arant24/153 LS 1,495,202 5/1924 Riddell 24/DIG. 11

2,030,135 2/1936 Carpenter 24/67 AR 2,401,997 6/1946 Whitman 24/141 X2,470,980 5/1949 Hajny 1 24/113 MP 2,983,975 5/1961 Hubbell 1. 24/113 MP3,503,568 3/1970 Galley 1 24/DIG. 11 UX 3,542,321 11/1970 Kahabka24/DIG. I1 UX 3,705,443 12/1972 Camporese et a1. 24/90 PR Jan. 29, 19742/1973 Salvatori 24/113 MP X 3,715,781 1,397,957 11/1921 Gulick 24/113 RFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,159,495 2/1958 France 24/90 PR1,408,781 7/1965 France 1 24/90 PR 615,632 6/1961 Italy 24/103 806,1746/1951 Germany 24/90 W OTHER PUBLICATIONS 359454 6/1943 Stumpf 24-90 W.Published by A.P.C.

Primary ExaminerD0nald A. Griffin Attorney, Agent, or FirmWhee1er,Morsell, House & Wheeler [57] ABSTRACT 4 Claims, 32 Drawing FiguresPAIENIEI] JAN 29 I974 SHEET 1 OF 3 FIG. IA

6 FIG.3A

F|G.4A

INVENTOR JOHN R. KAPH'AN W hee le r, Hou s e & Wheele r ATTORN EYSPATENTED 3. 787. 935

SHtEI 2 OF 3 FIG-8 INVEN TOR JOHN 'R. KAPITAN Wheeler. H0use&WheelerATTO RN EYS PATENTED 3,787. 935

SHEET 3 UP 3 FVIG.I8 FIG.16 FIG.'|7

INVENTOR JOHN R. KAPITAN Wheeler, House & Wheeler 12 ATTORNEYSSELF-ATTACIIING BUTTON BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Buttons are among themost ancient of clothing accessories. They range in size from less thana quarter inch to more than three inches, and are made in an endlessvariety of designs, colors, and materials. They are used to fastenclothing, decorate costumes, and even to indicate rank and position.Commercial button displays often resemble jewelry counters. Yet a buttonused for fastening one part of a garment to another by passing itthrough a buttonhole or loop and the needle-andthread method for sewingit on have changed little in hundreds of years. Two main types ofbuttons, those perforated with sewing holes and those furnished withshanks, likewise have remained the main types over the years.

Recent advances in the production of synthetic fibers and new textilefinishes are having a deep effect on the weaving and sewing of clothinto clothing and the attachment of fasteners and accessories. As theproduction of synthetic fibers is extended, the difficulties encounteredin working with man-made fibers grow. For instance, heavy thread sewnrepeatedly through a small areal section of vinyl-coated syntheticfabric causes a permanent hole encompassing a larger area to be formed.Synthetic and plastic-coated fabrics need to be handled lightly, withoutpins, basting or tacks. Punctures in plastics made by a needle remain.Adhesives can be used as an efficient substitute to replace certainconventional basting and needle-and-thread operations, and are beingused in increasing amounts to bond a variety of new materials likevinyl-coated cotton, neoprene-coated nylon, wet look vinyl foamedlaminates and crush-crinkle polyurethane-coated knits and fabrics. Aseam binding tape backed with a polyesterbased adhesive can be used toreplace some stitching with bonds that are free of stiffness and canwithstand washing and dry cleaning. Plasticized film vinyls can be heatsealed or electronically sealed, rather than being stiched intorainwear. In these applications, the synthetic clothing functions wellunder stress and strain but the sewn-on buttons keep coming off.

The sewing on of conventional holed and shanked buttons to syntheticclothing involves multiple penetrations with needle and thread of thepuncturevulnerable button site. This weakens the immediate area of thematerial supporting the button, opening the way to loosened holdingthread tension and to premature fraying and tearing, a primary cause ofdangling and lost buttons. The self-attaching button of the presentinvention is designed to replace the less useful sewn-on button, tostand up straight, and to strongly resist coming off even under hardwear and tear, especially when applied to synthetic clothing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the principal object of this invention toprovide an improved button which provides integrally the ton assemblytogether and is permanently locked with adhesive sealing.

It is another object of this inventionto provide in another embodiment aself-attaching singlepronged button having mechanism which binds thebutton assembly together including a compressible prong which locks witha snap-lock action. I

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel type of buttonthat functions as a foundation button when attached to garments so thata desirable decorative top may later be attached as a costume accessory.

Another object of this invention is to make a sturdy and practicalself-attaching button for fastening one part of a garment to another andwhich can be safely laundered and dry cleaned.

Another object of this invention is to provide a selfattaching buttonuseful for both disposable and nondisposable apparel, for garments madeof natural, synthetic, or blended fabrics, woven or nonwoven, forplastic-coated fabrics, plastic-to-leather laminates, and substrates ofsynthetic rubber and calendered polyvinyl chloride sheet, among others.

Another object of this invention is to provide a selfattaching buttonthat can be quickly secured to articles of clothing without any toolsand by individuals with no sewing training or experience.

Another object of this invention is to provide a selfattaching buttonthat will permit its body to be attached in one operation and itsdecorative top in a separate operation thereby facilitating themanufacture of buttons and the sewing of clothes.

The aforesaid objects and further objects, details and benefits of theinvention will become more clearly understood from a perusal of thefollowing specifications and related drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of the bottonsurface of the socketed body of a two-pronged self-attaching button.

FIG. 1A is a top plan view of the body shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 1B is a bottom plan view of the body shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the subbase with double prong fastener.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view similar to FIG. 2, with the base turnedninety degrees.

FIG. 2B is a side view of the subbase with double prong fastener.

. FIG. 2C is a bottom plan view of the subbase of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a modified embodiment of doubleprong fastener.

FIG. 3A is a top view of a modified embodiment of the subbase.

FIG. 3B is a side elevational view of a subbasewith the double prongfastener as shown in FIG. 3 and 3A.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the top surface of the slotted body withthe double prongs inserted and partly spread.

FIG. 4A is a plan view of the slotted body with the double prongs fullyspread.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the decorative top or cover portion ofthe double-prong button assembly.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the decorative button top or coverpartly pressed down on the body of the two-pronged button assembly.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the assembled twopronged button.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the decorative top portion of the buttonassembly.

FIG. 8A is an inverted plan view of the button cover, showing aprotective release liner covering the under surface of the cover.

FIG. 8B is a view similar to FIG. 8A but with the liner partly peeledoff to expose a pressure-sensitive adhesive.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the exterior surface of an antifray sealcovered with a protective release liner.

FIG. 9A is a view similar to FIG. 9 but with the protective backingpaper partly peeled off, exposing the pressure-sensitive adhesive.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the anti-fray sealshowing an adhesive foam coating on one side of the seal and a thinadhesive film coating on the other side.

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the protective releaseliner being peeled from one side of the self-adhesive coating on theanti-fray seal.

FIG. 12 is an exploded top perspective view of the component parts of adouble-prong button assembly.

FIG. 13 is an exploded bottom perspective view of the component parts ofa double-pronged button assembly.

FIG. 14 is a side view showing the completely assembled two-prong buttonattached to a fabric material base.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a modified embodiment of a button basewith vertical hole adapted to receive a fastener with a single attachingprong.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a single-pronged button subbase withsnap-lock pin top.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an anti-fray seal for thesingle-pronged button assembly.

FIG. 18 is a perspective viewof the decorative top or cover portion ofthe single-pronged button assembly.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged cross section through a modifled button assemblyincorporating the parts of FIGS. 15 and 16.

FIG. 20 is an exploded botton perspective view of the component parts ofthe single-pronged button assembly.

FIG. 21 is a side view showing the completely assembled single-prongedbutton attached to a fabric material base.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Although the disclosure hereof isdetailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice theinvention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplifythe invention which may be embodied in other specific structure. Thescope of the invention is defined in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, like parts are given like referencecharacters.

FIGS. 1 through 14 pertain to the double-prong selfattaching buttonassembly embodiment of this invention. In this embodiment the prongedbutton subbase 5 with double prongs 6 is disposed at the under side ofthe fabric material 18 (FIG. 14). After the double prongs 6 are pushedthrough the material 18 and through the slots 3 in the slotted orsocketed body 1 disposed at the top of the fabric material 18, theprongs 6 are deformed by bending them and are spread into the recessedrectangular bed or socket 4 of the body 1, thereby clamping the assemblytogether. As shown in FIGS. 1-18, the body 1 of the button assembly maycomprise a disk with a spacer shank 2 perforated with a pair of slots 3for the reception of the double prongs 6 which attach the prongedsubbase 5.to the body 1. FIGS. 4 and 4A illustrate the inserted and.spread prongs 6.

The double prongs 6 may be suitably embedded or molded in as an insertin the subbase 5 in their manufacture (FIG. 2B). The double prongs 6 arepreferably made of metal, for instance, aluminum of annealed or quarterhard temper to provide a ductility adapted for easy bending. The metalused must be ductile enough to provide bends with a zero inside radiuswithout cracking. In molding the subbase 5, various low-cost plasticmaterials may be used, e.g., polystyrene, a rigid thermoplastic that canbe formed by injection or compression molding, and which is lightweight,strong, and easily formulated in an unlimited variety of colors. Inanother embodiment, the subbase 5 may be stamped out of aluminum, zinc,or brass sheeting as illustrated in FIGS. 3-38. The tips 7 of the prongs6 arebrought to a sharp point to facilitate their insertion throughplastic material, woven or nonwoven.

After the subbase 5 of the button assembly has been attached to the body1 by passing the double prongs 6 through the slots or sockets 3 in thebody 1 and spreading them, a further step is performed to permanentlylock the assembly together. This final step consists of peeling theprotective release liner 15 from the pressure-sensitive adhesive coateddecorative button cover or top 14, shown in FIGS. 8-88, and pressingthe'decorative top 14 on the upper surface of the body 1 of theassembly. FIG. 5 shows the decorative cover or top 14. FIG. 6 shows thedecorative top partly covering the body 1, and FIG. 7 the completelyassembled twopronged button. As indicated in FIG. 14, the margins of thebody 1 overlie the fabric sheet 19 which contains a buttonhole 20through which the button body 1 is passed in the course of fastening thesheets 18, 19.

The width and thickness of the slots or sockets 3 inv the body 1 shouldhave dimensions that closely match those of the prong 6. A good fit thatexcludes slackness will prevent the bent and spread prongs 6 from beingloosened under heavy stress. Likewise, the recessed elongated socket bed4 in the body 1 should be of a depth that allows the spread prongs 6 tolie flush with the top surface of the body 1 and in contact with theadhesive-coated underside of the decorative button top or cover 14. Oneside of a double-sided thin film adhesive is laminated to the undersurface of the decorative top 14 and the other side of the film adhesiveis covered with a protective release liner 15 until the top 14 is readyto be applied to the surface of the body 1. The decorative top 14 may becomprised of any material dictated by fashion or utility, inasmuch asindustrial strength thermoplastic adhesives provide an economical meansof bonding dissimilar surfaces. Commercially available tackythermoplastic adhesives provide both adequate initial tack and strongadhesion over the life of the article on which they are used.

In attaching the two-pronged-button assembly to a symthetic or naturalclothing material, an anti-fray'seal 13 as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 9Amay first be adhesively applied to the under side of the fabric material18. The anti-fray seal 13 will reinforce the raw edges of fabric 18where the prongs have penetrated it and thus prevent raveling,especially with loosely woven fabrics. The anti-fray seal 13 will alsoprevent ripping and tearing of the fabric material 18 at the button sitewhen the button itself is subjected to extraordinary pulling stresses.The seal acts as a further reinforcement by spreading pressure at thebutton anchoring site over a larger area. In the case of the vinylfabrics which do not have give, the seal will provide the extra strengthneeded for such button sites. One side of the seal 13 is coated with aself-adhesive closed-wall vinyl foam 17 (FIG. 10) and the other side ofthe seal 13 is coated with a self-adhesive thin extensible film adhesive16. Both sides are covered with a protective release paper backing untilthe seal 13 is ready to be used. These two basic types of self-adhesivefasteners are comparable to the foam adhesive MACmount and the filmadhesive MACbond manufactured by Morgan Adhesives Company, Stow, Ohio.Both types of adhesive are double-sided: one side of the adhesive islaminated to the back or bottom of an item to be adhesively fastened andthe other side of the adhesive is covered with protective release paperuntil the item is ready to be mounted. The pulling off of the protectiverelease paper 15 from one side of the adhesive-coated anti-fray seal 13is shown in FIG. 11. FIGS. 12, 13, 14 show the assembly sequence of thecomponent parts of the selfattaching double-prong button viewed fromabove, below, and the side.

In application, the backing paper 15 is peeled off thepressure-sensitive adhesive foam l7 and the seal 13 is pressed on theunder side of the fabric material 18, marking, in the process, the exactsite where the button will be attached. The adhesive foam 17 isparticularly suited for adhesion to irregular surfaces such as a fabricmaterial substrate. The backing paper 15 on the other side of theanti-fray seal 13 is then peeled off, exposing the thin film adhesive 16laminated thereon. After this preparatory step, the double prongs 6 ofthe subbase 5 are pushed through the slots 3 in the anti-fray seal 13,and through the fabric material 18. The shank 2 of the button base I- isfitted over the prongs 6 protruding from the right side of the fabricmaterial 18. The prongs 6 are then spread into the recessed elongatedbed or socket 4 in the button body 1. Finally, the decorative top 14,with its underside pressure-sensitive adhesive film 16, freed ofprotective backing paper 15, is pressed on the assembly.

The anti-fray seal 13 is preferably made of a flexible thermoplastic,like polypropylene, which has unusually high resistance to tearing andpuncturing, and whose density, melt index, and additives can be tailoredto meet different applications. A sufficiently strong antifray seal 13can be obtained in a thickness of about 0.0l0 inches, in using this typeof material.

Another embodiment of the self-attaching button assernbly of theinvention is in the fonn of a single prong fastener as illustrated inFIGS. 15 through 21. In the single-prong version, the circular buttonbody 8 has a vertical socket hole 10 bored through its spacer shank 9,parallel to its axis, as shown in FIG. 15. Inside the vertical sockethole 10 is a throat or wedge collar 11 (FIG. 19) for locking thesingle-prong subbase 12 with snap-lock pin top 31 when it is inserted orsnapped into the socket of body 8. The single prong 30 as shown in FIG.19', has a head 31 with a partially hollow interior cavity 32 whichpermits the side walls of the prong to be narrowed or collapsed bycompression. The head 31 is compressed as it is forced through theaperture neck formed by the wedge collar 11 inside the vertical sockethole 10 in the shank 9. To facilitate this yielding, the hole 10 hastapered cam sides 33 which coact with the conical top 34 of head 31.Once the snap-lock pin top 31 has slid past the wedge collar 11 insidethe shank 9 it is released from compression, and in springing back toits original shape, i.e., in its elastic recovery, locks the buttonassembly together. The enlarged view in FIG. 19 illustrates thesnap-lock action.

The shanked body 8 and the single-pronged subbase 12 can both beinexpensively molded out of suitable thermoplastic or thermosetmaterial. As illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21, the assembly of thesingle-prong selfattaching button is the same as that of thedouble-prong embodiment in respect to the anti-fray seal 13 anddecorative button top 14. The anti-fray seal 13 (FIG. 17) as used withthe single prong assembly, however, has a hole to fit over the singleprong, whereas the seal 13 (FIG. 9) for the double-prong assembly isslotted. The anti-fray seal used with the single-prong assembly is shownin FIG. 17, and the single-prong subbase with snap-lock pin top in FIG.16. The decorative button top 14 for the single-prong assembly, as shownin FIG. 18, is the same as that for the double prong assembly, exceptthat it has a marginal flange which embraces the edge of the body 8 andforms a recess into which the body is received.

As an independent component, the decorative button top or cover 14 canbe manufactured in an infinite diversity of designs and finishes and anunlimited variety of fabricating techniques and materials because it isnot affected by any fabrication or material requirements demanded of thebutton base to which it is attached. As it usually costs far more toattach a button than to buy it, especially where appearance isimportant, the double-prong and single-prong versions of theselfattaching button of this invention will help reduce overall buttoncosts by the economy of their installation labor. The improvement oversewn-on buttons will also be evident in the inventions overcoming of thedrawbacks of hard-to-conceal double threads, buttons that do not hang onstraight or sit up, and buttons that come off.

I claim:

1. A self-attaching double-prong button used for fastening one part of agarment to another by passing it through a buttonhole, said double-prongbutton comprising a body having a shank, recessed bed, and a pair ofslots axially through the shank, a subbase with double prongs, said bodyand subbase being adapted to be installed on opposite sides of anarticle of clothing so that as the said body and subbase are clampedtogether by the spreading action of the inserted prongs into said bedthe double-prong button is simultaneously assembled and installed onsaid article of clothing, an antifray seal being disposed between thearticle and the subbase, said anti-fray sealbeing slotted fordoubleprong entry, a coating of pressure-sensitive adhesive foam on oneside of the seal and a coating of pressuresensitive adhesive film on theother side of the seal, and protective release liners covering theadhesive on bothsides.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 and further comprising a separatecover and means for fastening the cover on said body over said bed tocover the portion of said prongs contained in said bed, said covercomprising a top portion including a separate button top with anunderside coated with pressure-sensitive adhesive, a protective releaseliner thereover, said separate top, when pressed on said buttonassembly, sealing said prongs engaged in said recessed bed in said body.

3. A self-attaching button assembly comprising a body adapted to bepassed through a buttonhole and having a margin adapted to overlie thebuttonhole margin, and a subbase, said body and subbase being adapted tobe disposed at opposite sides of an article of clothing or the like,said body having a socket and said subbase having a prong adapted topenetrate through said article and enter the socket, said prong beingdeformable in the course of engaging it in said socket whereby to unitesaid body and subbase in the course of installing the body and subbaseon said article and assembling the body and subbase, and an anti-frayseal between the subbase and the article, said anti-fray seal comprisinga perforated disk having opposed adhesive faces to adhere to the subbaseand article respectively.

4. A self-attaching double-prong button used for fastening one part of agarment to another by passing the button through a buttonhole, saidpronged button comprising a body having a shank, recessed bed, and apair of slots axially through the shank, a subbase with manuallydefonnable double prongs, said body and subbase being adapted to beinstalled on opposite sides of an article of clothing so that as thesaid body and subbase are clamped together by the spreading action ofthe inserted prongs into said bed the double-prong button issimultaneously assembled and installed on said article of clothing, aseparate cover and means for fastening the cover on said body over saidbed to cover the portion of said prongs contained in said bed and toretain said prongs in said bed.

1. A self-attaching double-prong button used for fastening one part of agarment to another by passing it through a buttonhole, said double-prongbutton comprising a body having a shank, recessed bed, and a pair ofslots axially through the shank, a subbase with double prongs, said bodyand subbase being adapted to be installed on opposite sides of anarticle of clothing so that as the said body and subbase are clampedtogether by the spreading action of the inserted prongs into said bedthe doubleprong button is simultaneously assembled and installed on saidarticle of clothing, an anti-fray seal being disposed between thearticle and the subbase, said anti-fray seal being slotted fordouble-prong entry, a coating of pressure-sensitive adhesive foam on oneside of the seal and a coating of pressure-sensitive adhesive film onthe other side of the seal, and protective release liners covering theadhesive on both sides.
 2. The combination defined in claim 1 andfurther comprising a separate cover and means for fastening the cover onsaid body over said bed to cover the portion of said prongs contained insaid bed, said cover comprising a top portion including a separatebutton top with an underside coated with pressure-sensitive adhesive, aprotective release liner thereover, said separate top, when pressed onsaid button assembly, sealing said prongs engaged in said recessed bedin said body.
 3. A self-attaching button assembly comprising a bodyadapted to be passed through a buttonhole and having a margin adapted tooverlie the buttonhole margin, and a subbase, said body and subbasebeing adapted to be disposed at opposite sides of an article of clothingor the like, said body having a socket and said subbase having a prongadapted to penetrate through said article and enter the socket, saidprong being deformable in the course of engaging it in said socketwhereby to unite said body and subbase in the course of installing thebody and subbase on said article and assembling the body and subbase,and an anti-fray seal between the subbase and the article, saidanti-fray seal comprising a perforated disk having opposed adhesivefaces to adhere to the subbase and article respectively.
 4. Aself-attaching double-prong button used for fastening one part of agarment to another by passing the button through a buttonhole, saidpronged button comprising a body having a shank, recessed bed, and apair of slots axially through the shank, a subbase with manuallydeformable double prongs, said body and subbase being adapted to beinstalled on opposite sides of an article of clothing so that as thesaid body and subbase are clamped together by the spreading action ofthe inserted prongs into said bed the double-prong button issimultaneously assembled and installed on said article of clothing, aseparate cover and means for fastening the cover on said body over saidbed to cover the portion of said prongs contained in said bed and toretain said prongs in said bed.